Significance: In 1772, George Washington purchased a house from Michael Robinson in Fredericksburg, Virginia for his mother. Mary Ball Washington spent her last seventeen years in this comfortable home.
The white frame house sits on the corner of Charles and Lewis Streets and was in walking distance to Kenmore, home of Mary's daughter Betty Washington Lewis. Tradition has it that, during the Revolution, General Lafayette found Mrs. Washington in her garden attending her favorite hobby. The President-to-be came to this home to receive his mother's blessing before attending his inauguration in 1789.
In 1889, Preservation Virginia acquired the Mary Washington House and saved it from certain destruction. The house was scheduled to be disassembled for travel to the Chicago World's Fair for display. The house underwent a restoration and was opened to the public. The house was operated by the Mary Washington Branch of Preservation Virginia. In 2013, Preservation Virginia offered the opportunity for local ownership of its Fredericksburg sites. As of January 3, 2013, Washington Heritage Museums (formerly Mary Washington Branch Preservation Virginia) officially assumed responsibilities to continue oversight of these properties.

Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: FN-1, FN-76

The Library of Congress generally does not own rights to material in
its collections and, therefore, cannot grant or deny permission to
publish or otherwise distribute the material. For further rights
information, see "Rights Information" below and the Rights and
Restrictions Information page
(
http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/rights.html
).

If Digital Images Are Displaying

You can download online images yourself. Alternatively, you can purchase copies of various types through Library of Congress Duplication Services.

HABS/HAER/HALS materials have generally been scanned at high resolution that is suitable for most publication purposes (see Digitizing the Collection for further details about the digital images).

Photographs--All photographs are printed from digital files to preserve the fragile originals.

Make note of the Call Number and Item Number that appear under the photograph in the multiple-image display (e.g., HAER, NY,52-BRIG,4-2).

If possible, include a printout of the photograph.

Drawings--All drawings are printed from digital files to preserve the fragile originals.

Make note of the Survey Number (e.g., HAER NY - 143) and Sheet Number (e.g., "Sheet 1 of 4"), which appear on the edge of the drawing. (NOTE: These numbers are visible in the Tiff "Reference Image" display.)

If possible, include a printout of the drawing.

Data Pages

Make note of the Call Number in the catalog record.

If Digital Images Are Not Displaying

In the rare case that a digital image for HABS/HAER/HALS documentation is not displaying online, select images for reproduction through one of these methods:

P&P reading room staff can provide up to 15 quick copies of items per calendar year (many original items in the holdings are too old or fragile to make such copies, but generally HABS/HAER/HALS materials are in good enough condition to be placed on photocopy machines). For assistance, see our Ask a Librarian page OR

You can purchase copies of various types, including quick copies, through Library of Congress Duplication Services (price lists, contact information, and order forms for Library of Congress Duplication Services are available on the Duplication Services Web site):

Make note of the Call Number listed above.

Look at the Medium field above. If it lists more than one item:

The entire group can be ordered as photocopies or high-quality copies.

All the items in a particular medium (e.g., all drawings, all photographs) can be ordered as photocopies or high-quality copies.

Call Number:
HABS VA,89-FRED,2-

Medium:
Photo(s): 11Measured Drawing(s): 12Data Page(s): 5

Please use the following steps to determine whether you need to
fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room
to view the original item(s). In some cases, a surrogate
(substitute image) is available, often in the form of a digital
image, a copy print, or microfilm.

Is the item digitized? (A thumbnail (small) image will
be visible on the left.)

Yes, the item is digitized.
Please use the digital image in preference to requesting
the original. All images can be viewed at a large size
when you are in any reading room at the Library of Congress.
In some cases, only thumbnail (small) images are available
when you are outside the Library of Congress because the
item is rights restricted or has not been evaluated for
rights restrictions.

As a preservation measure, we generally do not serve an
original item when a digital image is available. If you
have a compelling reason to see the original, consult with
a reference librarian. (Sometimes, the original is simply
too fragile to serve. For example, glass and film photographic
negatives are particularly subject to damage. They are also
easier to see online where they are presented as positive
images.)

If you do not see a thumbnail image or a reference to another
surrogate, please fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs
Reading Room. In many cases, the originals can be served in a
few minutes. Other materials require appointments for later the
same day or in the future. Reference staff can advise you in
both how to fill out a call slip and when the item can be served.

To contact Reference staff in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room,
please use our Ask A Librarian service or
call the reading room between 8:30 and 5:00 at 202-707-6394, and Press 3.